Mapping Queer Chicago: Past & Present
Happy Pride!
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the riots at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, Goethe-Instituts around the world are mounting an exhibit called ‘Queer as German Folk.’ The exhibit explores the LGBTQ+ rights movement as it happened in Germany. I’ve been helping the Instituts in San Francisco and Chicago manage print production for the many large-format PVC and fabric components, custom t-shirts, and photo books that constitute the exhibition.
Goethe-Institut Chicago added a local component: a map the city highlighting locations important to the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, with a special focus on centering the experiences of persons of color. I was charged with designing a large print map that displays the information compiled in a Google Map by two interns at the Goethe-Institut, Mason Culkin and Liliana Macias.
The exhibit is currently in three locations around Chicago: the Leather Archives and Museum, the Packingtown Museum at the Plant, and at the Goethe-Institut; the map appears in all three locations. The Goethe-Institut iteration also features a tetraptych that I painted last year. More on that later!
Here are some photos from my phone of the map in situ, along with some other components of the exhibit: